Final Flashcards
According to Schwartzman, what is the role of the therapist when assisting individual’s in differentiation and how does the therapist accomplish this?
The role of the therapist is to mirror the client’s experiences and feelings. The therapist accomplishes this by becoming the self-object to give the client strength to be able to see the other members as separate and whole. (Seeing others as separate from him/herself and their own whole person).
What does Hinshelwood mean by attacks on reflective space? (define reflective space and what these attacks are and do)
Reflective space is the way in which the group contains or fails to contain affects and linkages in its interaction. The reflective space is an emotional connection. Attacks on this are on the ability to connect in group. Moving away from the here and now is an example of this type of attack.
Explain what is meant by a corrective emotional experience and one of the common types of critical incidents
A corrective emotional experience is experiencing painful situations again to repair trauma from previous experiences. There must an emotional component to this because insight isn’t enough. This experience must override existing experiences and the group must be safe and supportive because honest interactions are required for this to work. One of the common types of critical incidents is turning points- which are sudden instances of expression or feelings/emotions that is unique or new to the patient. These begin the healing process for the client.
Why does Yalom state that the group addressing Mitch’s fight with his wife would be a mistake?
Yalom states that the group addressing Mitch’s fight with his wife would be a mistake because the fight was in the past and it is important for the group to keep their discussions in the here and now in order for them to be the most productive and beneficial for the group. As a general rule for group therapy, eliciting here and now experiences as much as possible is important as they will be much more powerful to the client because this is where change occurs and the potential for the most growth is. Yalom states it is important to value what is happening in the present as opposed to what happened in the past during group therapy. Yalom’s intervention for Mitch allowed the problem to be addressed in a manner that included everyone.
What is Saul’s self-dynamism and how was it self-perpetuating in the group? What would be a corrective emotional experience for Saul?
?Saul has internalized the appraisals of people that result in a self-dynamism that fears connecting to people and getting close, allowing for intimacy. Self-perpetuating means eventually causing beliefs as a result of projections. This is self-perpetuating because he is lonely from lack of connection and withdraws from people as a result and therefore remains lonely from the lack of connection he maintains with others. A corrective emotional experience for Saul would be to allow him to experience the appraisals of others by their words, not just their assumptions. This could be done in the group by having the members to share their true thoughts on Saul in order for him to be more aware of how others see him, resulting in a greater connection for him with the group.
Provide two examples of a therapist activating the here and now?
One example would be if a group member makes an ambiguous comment, the therapist would bring that comment into the discussion and discuss who that comment was directed towards and the reason for the comment. This would be looking for indirect communication and steering it towards direct communication. Another example would be for the therapist to look for signs of dissatisfaction and bring that into the group because the material members are avoiding discussing is the material that would be very important to talk about.
List and explain of the common group tensions
One tension is the struggle for dominance between group members. The struggle for dominance begins as members race for position in the pecking order. Once the hierarchy is established, the issue may become inactive, with periodic flare-ups as members make progress and therefore the hierarchy must alter. Another tension is between the wish to get better and the wish to stay in the group. This tension is established as the group members become to view group therapy as a comfort and therefore hold back on making changes to maintain their need for the support of group therapy.
projective identification
unconsciously making another person feel what you are feeling
splitting
splitting someone all good or all bad; all or nothing thinking
self-object
restoring and maintaining a sense of self; mirroring to the therapist, processing it and then becoming whole
differentiation
seeing people as separate and whole objects; realizing people are different from you and are their own person and knowing this is okay; goal is to see people as whole and not merely parts; development of capacity and insight
parataxic distortion
when a person interacts based on a fantasy which affects interpretation; are often self-perpetuating; how we distort information
social microcosm
you bring the same problems to group as you do to the outside world; group would be ineffective without this
transference
attitudes towards the therapist; feelings and assumptions transferred onto the therapist that one had about a previous caregiver; walking through this is the primary task of group therapy
process
how something is said; interaction; why something is said at that moment; includes body language and tone of voice; focuses on the here and now
